


A Moment of Magic

by Macx



Category: Real Ghostbusters
Genre: Episode Tag, Paranormal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-15
Updated: 2011-07-15
Packaged: 2017-10-21 10:15:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/224067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Macx/pseuds/Macx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Winston tries to wrap his mind around the fact that he's supposed to be the reincarnation of a tribal chief Demonbanisher</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Moment of Magic

**Author's Note:**

> originally written in the mid-nineties

Janine Melnitz came up the stairs to the second floor of Ghostbuster Central and went over to the kitchen to get the lunch she had put in the fridge. After placing the soup she had brought with her in the microwave oven the Ghostbusters had acquired lately, she went into the living room area and looked for a magazine to read in her time off. She had forgotten her book at home and the TV Guide had told her that there was nothing interesting on.

"Hello, Winston," she greeted the Ghostbuster who sat on the couch.

Winston looked up and smiled. "Hello, Janine."

She sat down beside him and looked at the thing he held in his hands. It was a piece of stone shaped like the head of a bird. She knew that piece of art. It was one part of a statue and a 'souvenir' from their latest bust two days ago.

"It's beautiful," she remarked.

He nodded. "Yes, it is."

"What do you wanna do with it?" she asked. "Use it as a paper weight?"

It was a real work of art and if it hadn't been for the disasterous effect of putting the three pieces, called the 'Moaning Stones', of the statue together, it would have made a nice piece of an exhibition.

The remark drew a smile from him. "Not exactly. Egon says it's still psi-active and might be dangerous."

"Oh. But the Immortal won't come back out of it, will he?" Janine remembered those hours at the museum with horror. All those skeletons chasing them and the big, ugly thing called the Immortal, a demon. It had been a lot of luck and a bit of magic helping them out of the dead end situation.

"No. As long as the stones are kept separate nothing can happen. That's why Dalia gave this stone to me." He turned the grey stone around in his hands, remembering the voodoo woman. "She wants to be sure that something like what happened will never happen again."

"Uh-huh. But what now? If it's dangerous, we have to store it somewhere." Even if the statue was incomplete, psi-active things were always potentially dangerous. She knew that from her own experience and from her work with the Ghostbusters.

"Egon wants to test it and I think he's got an idea how to seal the energy inside the stone. Ray said the same. I think he's already reading magic books to come up with a solution. If all else fails we have to put it into the containment unit."

"What a shame," the secretary said, her eyes on the stone. Somehow it held a certain fascination.

"I don't know ....." Winston sighed. "I wish we had out it there immediately."

Janine looked at him and saw something was wrong with her employer and friend. "Are you okay?"

Winston turned to look at her, still fingering the stone. "It's kinda creepy, you know," he said, staring at the stone again.

"What?"

"Dalia said I'm the reincarnation of Shimabuku. At first it sounded hilarious to me. But what happened at the museum was .... strange. I mean ...," he shrugged, " ... when the demon came out and I somehow ... banished it, I felt that power and I didn't know what to do. It was weird."

Janine nodded. She had seen the transformation of Winston too, turning from a 20th century Ghostbuster to a tribal chief Demonbanisher.

"I don't really believe in that reincarnation stuff," he went on. "But then I didn't believe in ghosts, too." He grinned humorlessly and shrugged. "I was proven otherwise both times."

"Do you still feel it?" she wanted to know. "The power, I mean."

He shook his head. "No. It was all gone after the demon vanished."

The red-haired secretary heard the soft 'ping' of the microwave oven telling her the soup was ready, but she stayed put.

"What did Egon and Ray say about it?"

"Oh, they did a whole lot of experiments on me, but found no trace of anything unusual. Egon's a bit puzzled as far as I can interpret what he told me. Ray's upstairs and trying to find something on this Shimabuku." Winston chuckled. "He's intent on gathering all the information he can find on my ancestors. That'll be fun."

Janine chuckled, too. "Next thing we know he's trying to paint your family tree."

"He'll have a hell of a job trying to put all the names on it. The Zeddemores are a big family."

She smiled, knowing part of Winston's family already. It wasn't uncommon of a brother of his showing up now and then. And last Christmas part of his family had paid a visit. Even his dad had come along, finally able to come to terms with his sons choice of job. Her smile faded when she saw the shadows on Winston's face return.

"Have you talked to Dr. V about your experience?" she asked. Though she'd never confess it aloud she believed that Peter was one of the best in his field. He knew them all very well and he'd be the best person to help Winston over the experience.

Zeddemore nodded slowly. "Yeah. I think Pete wanted to know if I can deal with it."

That was Peter, Janine thought. He could be the most irritating and obnoxious person around, but when someone was down, he was there to help him or her.

"And can you deal with it?" she asked softly, aware she was getting close and personal, and ready to pull out of the conversation if necessary.

Winston sighed. That was one question he and Peter had been concerned with. They had talked for most of the evening yesterday. Some of the topics hadn't even scratched the topic of Shimabuku or reincarnations. Winston had found himself talking freely about everything and everyone on his mind, and had found in Peter a very good listener -- even when it came to family or things like Vietnam. But he had known all along that Peter was good at listening to the others' problems. That was what he had been trained for. But with Pete you never had the feeling of talking to a professional psychologist, but to a friend.

After clearing most of the things that were on his mind Winston had decided to call it a day and they had gone to bed, but not without Peter offering him to repeat their little session whenever he felt he needed it.

"Well," Winston said slowly, "I had some dreams about what happened. And I still wonder why it is me who's supposed to be this Shimabuku guy. What have I done to be the chosen one for a reincarnation?"

"I don't think you have to do something for it. It just happens, Winston."

"Maybe. Maybe not. I just can't get it out of my mind. What if it hadn't been like that? What if hadn't been able to defeat that demon?"

"But that didn't happen. You did defeat him and banish the ugly thing back into the stones," Janine said forcefully, wondering if she was really equipped to deal with what she was trying to deal.

Another sigh. "Yeah, it happened." He looked up and gave her a smile. "And I hope it will never happen again." He inhaled deeply. "I think I will be okay. Really."

"If you say so." Janine didn't sound convinced, but decided to let it go.

"I mean, what's the great deal? I just had to believe I'm some Demonbanisher, Dalia gave me her powers and I transformed into a leatherclad tribal chief, ordering a demon to stop his attacks." He shrugged. "What's so special about that?" He gave her a slight grin. "Yeah, I'm really fine, Janine."

"Yeah, and you looked good." Janine raised both eyebrows and her eyes twinkled. "Maybe you should make that your new look."

Winston laughed. "Would be freezingly cold in winter."

"Well, we'd find a way for that time of year, too. And you did really well." She patted his arm.

Winston put the stone on the table where it sat like a reminder. "I think we should put it into the containment unit," he said as if to himself.

"I still thing it would make a nice paper weight." Janine stood and went over to the kitchen. "Want some soup, too? I think I've enough for two."

"No, thanks." He gave her a smile.

"I don't believe it!" The enraged tenor of Peter Venkman floated up the stairs and seconds later the dark-haired psychologist made his entry. He held an envelope in one hand and a letter in the other. His green eyes were flashing with barely surpressed anger.

"What is it, Pete?" Winston wanted to know, glad to get his mind off the things he had been thinking about.

"That's from the museum!" Peter said hotly, waving the letter. "They want us to pay for the damage!"

"What damage?" As far as Winston could remember they hadn't damaged anything with the proton streams. And anyhow, the contract said that they were not liable for any damage occurring throughout the bust, either by the entities or the Ghostbusters.

Peter shoved the letter under his nose. Winston took it and read it over. A look of disbelief crept over his face.

"The skeletons?" he asked. "They want us to pay for the skeletons?"

"Yeah! I called the museum about that, explaining what they can do with their expenses because of the skeletons." There was a sweet smile on Peter's lips and Winston knew what me meant by 'explaining'.

"And?"

"And they told me that there is no passus in the contract saying anything about not being liable for possessed skeletons."

Winston stared at him. "They can't be serious."

Peter shrugged. "Seems they are. They argue that it says 'damage by the Ghostbusters or the entities in question', not 'things possessed by the entities in question'. But they haven't heard the last of me. Hah!" He flopped down on the couch. "They ignored the damaged floors, walls and doors, but they want us to pay for the skeletons." He shook his head. "Unbelievable."

Winston sighed, leaning back. "Maybe we should include a new passus. 'Not liable for destroyed, formerly possessed skeletons of any kind.'" He chuckled at that thought and so did Peter.

Suddenly Peter's gaze fell on the head piece of the little plastic. He picked it up and turned it round in his hands.

"Want to keep it?" he asked in a completely neutral tone, his attention focused solely on his friend.

Winston shook his head. "Nope. I'm glad when we're rid of it."

Peter looked intently at him and Winston felt a mixture of thankfulness and annoyance rise inside of him. Everyone seemed to be 'on his case', but they were only expressing their concern. The last one being Janine mere minutes ago. It was reassuring somehow, showing him he wasn't alone. Though it would take him some time to get over the experience of being Shimabuku, he was sure that they would do everything possible to make it easier for him.

"I'm fine, Pete, really," he answered the unspoken question. "Thanks for everything."

Peter gave him a crooked grin. "Wait with the overtures till you get my bill." He stood. "I think I hear the bell ring for the next round of the battle on the phone." He stretched and walked over to the stairs..

"Good luck," Winston called after him, knowing Peter would find a way to appease the museum and not pay for the damage on the skeletons. He always found a way.

Then he took the head of the bird statue. For a second he thought it glowed slightly blue, then he shook his head. He wrapped it up in a piece of cloth and put it on the table. Deciding a check on Ecto-1 would take his mind off things he walked downstairs.

On the table the stone pulsed in a soft, bluish white light.


End file.
